Mind the Gap India Teamlease sparks a skills revolution with MIECA 2025

MUMBAI: India may be chasing its five-trillion-dollar dream, but one gap still threatens to trip it up the skill gap. And at a time when the nation’s job market is sprinting ahead faster than its talent pool can keep up, Teamlease Edtech is asking India to shift focus from unemployment numbers to the real crisis: unemployability.

Carrying forward this mission, Teamlease Edtech hosted the third edition of the Making India Employable Conference & Awards (MIECA) 2025 on 7 November 2025, at Novotel Mumbai International Airport. The conference brought together over 300 delegates from educators and entrepreneurs to policymakers and philanthropists united by a shared belief that employability cannot be built in silos but must be co-created through shared action.

The year’s theme, “Accelerating Impact. Enabling Dreams,” perfectly captured the spirit of the gathering, a celebration of people turning purpose into practice. This edition of MIECA recognised 122 individuals and organisations whose work has directly advanced employability at the grassroots level from teachers transforming classrooms into skill labs to entrepreneurs reinventing workplace learning.

“The real issue isn’t unemployment; it’s unemployability,” said Teamlease Edtech founder and CEO Shantanu Rooj. “Making India Employable isn’t a campaign, it’s a cause. Preparing our youth for meaningful work is a responsibility that belongs to all of us educators, employers, policymakers, and citizens alike.”

The day saw a range of provocative panel discussions and keynotes that examined the fast-changing face of learning and work. Topics included ‘AI Apocalypse or Evolution’, which explored whether automation could erase entry-level jobs for Gen Z before they begin; ‘The Pay-for-Performance Trap’, a look at how placement-linked university funding could stifle innovation; ‘Income Inequality Does Not Mean Access Inequality’, which unpacked higher education’s role in levelling opportunity; and ‘Talent Supply Shock’, which warned that mismatched skills could derail India’s 5 trillion dollars economy dream.

Setting the tone for the event Teamlease Services ltd, chairman Narayan Ramachandran delivered a keynote on integrating academic learning with employability skills. Meanwhile, Dr. R. A. Mashelkar, one of India’s most respected scientists, reminded the audience that “Employability in the age of AI is not about what you know, it’s about how fast you can learn. It’s about your adaptability quotient and your hunger to explore and question.”

The MIECA 2025 jury comprising Dr. Mashelkar, Roma Balwani, Siddharth Pai, T. N. Singh, and Dr. Chenraj Roychand evaluated hundreds of nominations submitted before the 24 September deadline, selecting those whose initiatives have tangibly enhanced India’s skilling ecosystem.

As the evening drew to a close, Rooj summed up the day’s spirit: “Each person we celebrate today represents what’s possible when purpose turns into action. If every citizen mentors or skills even one person, we can transform the country’s workforce story for generations.”

As India inches toward its Viksit Bharat 2047 vision, Making India Employable is more than a conference, it’s becoming a collective movement. Through initiatives like MIECA, TeamLease Edtech is turning recognition into resolve, urging the country to move from job-seeking to skill-building, one learner at a time.

Because in the race toward progress, India doesn’t just need more jobs, it needs more people ready to do them.